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An epic dam under construction in Central Asia will be the tallest in the world - more than three times the height of Big Ben. The Rogun Hydropower Project is an embankment dam being built on the Vakhsh River in the south of Tajikistan, that promises to transform the nation's energy sector. The clay core rockfill dam, which situated in Pamir, a huge and remote mountain range in the region, is expected to double the country's energy production, turning into a major regional electricity exporter, AzerNews reported back in 2018.

These structures are a major pillar of global renewable energy, with falling or fast-flowing water spinning turbines to create mechanical energy, which generators then turn into electrical energy.We Build Group is the main contractor on the project and has been working on it for more than 10 years.

The Italian firm says on its website that the plant will have "6 turbines of 600 MW each with a total installed capacity of 3,600 MW (the equivalent of three nuclear power plants)". Officials have said it will be able to generate electricity for around 10 million people.

The increased capacity would be a major boost for Tajikistan which suffers power outages almost ever year, with officials blaming low water levels in its existing hydroelectric plants, as well as high demand in the colder months.

It would also be an important development for the country's economy, allowing it to meet its own demand needs, as well as export surplus power to neighbouring countries, depending on whether agreements with them can be reached, as per the outlet.

The project has had a troubled history, having initially been started in 1976 before stalling following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Attempts were made to restart construction in the intervening years, but it wasn't until 2016 that Tajikistan officially relaunched the project, according to reports.

It's not expected to be fully completed until the mid-2030s, but it is already generating power, with the first of six units commissioned in 2018 and a second in 2019, as per New Civil Engineer.

The finished project is set to be a whopping 335 metres in height, more than three times that of Elizabeth Tower in London, which is affectionately known as Big Ben and stands at around 96 metres.

Establishing a clear total cost is difficult, given the decades of stop-start construction. However, Standard & Poor's (S&P) Global Ratings estimated that completing Rogun would cost $6.4 billion (around £4.9billion at the time), whilst noting that it faces funding challenges.

Campaign group Rivers Without Borders claims the estimate for costs including Soviet-era investment is $12.3billion in August 2025 (which works out to roughly £9billion).